there are several ways i understand the truth to “thoughts are things”.

one is that the subconscious mind is like a dog – whatever you tell it to do, it will obey without discrimination. we know in psychology that people subconsciously seek evidence to support the thoughts they choose to hold. ex: if i permit inner chatter that says “people are idiots”, my subconscious mind will obediently take that in as truth, and i will now have an unconscious process operating that looks for where it’s true that people are idiots, and filtering the world in those terms…i will inadvertently, unconsciously, look for evidence to substantiate my inner chatter….even if i’m immersed among amazing folks, my attention will be drawn to gloss over that and will instead seek out where they are being idiots, and who is the biggest idiot, because “idiot” is what i’ve inadvertently trained my subconscious mind to pay attention to…the result of my very obedient subconscious is that suddenly all i will experience is all the idiots around me.

now on the other hand, if i choose inner chatter that says “people are generally trying to do the best they can”, my subconscious mind will obediently take that in as truth, and i will now have an unconscious process operating that looks for where it’s true that people are doing the best that they can, and I filter the world in those terms…i will inadvertently, unconsciously, look for evidence to substantiate my inner chatter….even if i’m immersed among total idiots, my attention will be drawn to gloss over that and will instead seek out where they are doing the best they can, and i’ve inadvertently trained my subconscious mind to pay attention to that…the result of my very obedient subconscious is that suddenly all i will experience is all the ways the people around me are really doing the best they can.

by the way, we also have psychological evidence showing that how we think about others – without ever saying it – impacts how they behave. school children somehow know when a teacher has labeled them as ‘trouble’, even when the teacher tries not to reveal the judgment. and the children wind up living up to it. likewise, when managers perceive employees as lazy or unproductive, even the highest performers suddenly, inexplicably, decline in performance. the reverse is also true. when teachers label students ‘gifted’, the students eagerly try to live up to the label; when employees are considered ‘assets’, they are more likely to produce more positive output.

thoughts are things.

so knowing that this is in operation, i choose my thoughts and my beliefs very very carefully. when i find a belief that doesn’t serve me i set immediate action in motion to rewire it. when i hear myself habitually pointing to what i do NOT like or something i DON’T want, i take immediate action to reframe it. ex: if i find a thought that says “i can’t tell her, she’ll have a meltdown”, i realize that cultivating *that* belief as an unconscious process only reinforces my belief. so instead i’ll try out “there IS a way i can tell her that she can handle…what is it?” and voila now my subconscious mind, obediently taking in that directive, will seek out answers, evidence, and substantiation for *that* belief. that’s much more in my favor. so i choose to put my subconscious on the task of what i DO want at all times.

let’s take this out of the subconscious and into something more practical. if i spend my time thinking about what i want, i then can take action to get it. if i spend my time only focusing on what i do NOT like and what i do NOT want…where will my actions go?

so bottom line, at the level of the tangible world, the gross-physical-body, i see a direct correlation between how we habitually think and how we act….and i see a direct correlation between (what we think and how we act) and (what kind of experience we have in the world). i see a 3-link chain, and in seeing it it holds weight for me. the 3-link chain goes like this:– my inner chatter / self-talk / habits of speech / habits of thought plug into and (to a large degree) shape my subconscious mind– my sub-conscious mind impacts/affects my actions, my decision-making processes, and my perception.– thus, whatever is going on in my subconscious mind actually has the power to contort or shape what i do, what i ask for (or don’t ask for), how i decide (if i’m clear about what i DO want, i can make more conscious choices in favor of it), and what i experience as “actual experience”

that’s a mouthful right there.

ok ready for another layer?

next, i have an association not only at the direct/tangible/gross-body level, but also at the level of the miraculous / the indirect / the interconnected subtle-body fabric. let’s call this the alchemy of intent/manifestation.

have you heard “align your energies and providence moves to meet you”?

(ever thought about a penny and then found 5 that day?)

ever heard people talk about the benefits of “affirmations”? ok affirmations alone don’t always work, they sometimes need a bit more…but you may be starting to get a picture, right?

this picture may be easier to understand if you have experience with what i mean when i say the “subtle fabric”.

without looking, speaking, or knowing, you can *feel* when someone walks into the room pissed off, hmm? or ever had a “sense” when someone was looking at you and look up and catch them square in the eyes?

if we imagine that there is such a thing as an invisible interconnected web between us all, a kind of energetic impact that we have (sometimes greater, sometimes lesser) on the world around us, then merely intending a thing with absolute commitment may help it become so.

(e
x: a scientist finding an electron right where he “expects” it to be)…

if it’s true that our thoughts can impact the physical world around us, then what do you want to be committing your thoughts to? “i worry about how the meeting will turn out”? or “i trust the meeting will turn out for the best?” do you want “i’m afraid you’ll yell at me” or “i really want our conversation to be easy”?

in the physics concept of an electron showing up where it’s expected – what if what’s “real” is that all infinite possibilities exist in the universe simultaneously, but YOUR experience of the universe depends entirely on what you as the Life Scientist focus your attention on? which of the infinite possible electron locations do you *want*? just focus on it.

i’ve experienced alchemical miracles on many occasions, i experience more every single day, it’s an active part of my life. but let’s say i had not.

let’s just say – hypothetically – *if* it were true that my thoughts, my emotions, and the alignment in me could actually impact reality (ex: a scientist finding an electron right where he “expects” it to be) – then baby i’m sure as heck going to select and choose my thoughts carefully. i’m going to be careful not to permit myself to inadvertently land that electron where i do NOT want it – i’m going to focus my attention and train my thoughts to put that electron where i DO want it.

next let’s take a systemic look at how our thoughts impact our reality. when i think about what i don’t like, what i don’t want, what is not working, and what i’m bummed out about, my whole chest feels like it’s going to cave in. i feel discouraged, depressed, down and out. this is *not* a productive or creative state of mind. ever try to come up with a resourceful solution when you’re angry? it’s hard! likewise, while my chest is caved in and my emotions are dragging across the floor i am NOT very resourceful to create the experience i want. i can’t even be a positive contributor when i’m in that state.

so when i realize that my thoughts impact my state which impacts my capacity to be resourceful, i take responsibility for my every thought and every speech act. i limit my thoughts to what i DO want and what i WOULD like and what WOULD work for me.

ever heard of the Buddhist concept of “right speech”?

ever heard of the book “You Can’t Afford the Luxury of a Negative Thought”?

incidentally, people around me who want to contribute to me feel way better when i say what i DO want and what i WOULD like and what WOULD work for me – because then they have clarity about how to contribute to me. and they do. but when we habitually focus our thoughts on the opposite, we are not as strong in asking for what we DO want. and if we don’t ask for what we want, how can others effortlessly know how to contribute to us? which isn’t a small incident at all, in fact.

so again – thoughts are things. if i think “man i don’t want to go hungry”, and i’m in a contracted state of self-protection and fear, i’ll be far less resourceful to take care of what i DO want, and people around me who feel uncomfortable with my self-protectiveness will be less inclined to contribute. on the other hand if i say “woo baby i’d really love a super-delicious hot and juicy meal tonight,” now i’m a first step toward getting one – i can ask for it. now suddenly people around me are magnetized by my vision and gravitate to helping make it happen and enjoying it themselves. thoughts become things.

Finally here’s that Goethe quote and a question:

“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth…the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.” http://www.goethesociety.org/pages/quotescom.html

If providence moves all sorts of things to meet you based on what you think — then what are you committing your thoughts to?

If the ability to commit to a decision springs out of your habits of thought, what habits do you permit in the way you think? What do you choose to focus on?